Regional emergency exercise set for Nov. 7

Posted on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 — 10:01 AM

The 2013 Regional Hospitals Fall Severe Weather Exercise is taking place on Thursday, Nov. 7, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center will be one of several area hospitals and federal, state and local agencies participating.

The scenario for the exercise, to be held sometime between 7 a.m. – 1 p.m., is a deadly fall tornado and will also incorporate the “release” of a deadly chemical into the air.

The severe weather portion of the exercise will evaluate the effectiveness and capability of communication with hospitals and response agencies in the aftermath of a tornado, and the deadly chemical part of the drill will assess the hospitals’ ability to manage and care for a surge of patients, and the hospitals’ capability to protect patients, employees and visitors in addition to infrastructure during a hazardous material incident.

For more information about the regional exercise, including a quick reference guide for what to do during yellow and orange alerts for tornado, visit http://emergency.vanderbilt.edu/ and click on “Emergency Guides.”